Wheel for a toy car

ABSTRACT

A wheel which simulates a wide track tire with a decorative hub comprising a tire member which can receive a variety of different &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;mag wheels&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; or hubcap members. The tire member is cup shaped, with tapered inner walls for tightly receiving a hubcap member pressed therein. The hubcap member has a tubular portion which receives a protruding hub portion of the tire member as the hubcap member is pressed into place, to prevent tilting of the hubcap member.

[ 51 Feb. 1,1972

United States Patent La Branche [54] WHEEL FOR A TOY CAR 3,400,9889/1968 Hudson et al............................308/20 [72] Inventor:Harvey w. La Branche, Palos verdes 3,510,981 5/1970 La Branche etal......................46/221 Peninsula, Calif.

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS1taly.........................................46/221 [73] Assignee:Mattel, Inc., Hawthorne, Calif.

[22] Filed: Aug. 25, 1970 [21] App1.No.: 66,671

Primary ExaminerRusse1l R. Kinsey Assistant Examiner-Robert F. CuttingAtt0rneySeymour A. Scholnick ABSTRACT A wheel which simulates a widetrack tire with a decorative hub comprising a tire member which canreceive a variety of difierent mag wheels" or hubcap members. The tiremember is cup shaped, with tapered inner walls for tightly receiving a[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 8/1951Baggott............v.................1......

hubcap member pressed therein. The hubcap member has a tubular ortionwhich receives a protruding hub portion of the tire member as the hubcapmember is pressed into place, to prevent tilting of the hubcap member.

.301/1 ......46/221 X 4/1961Gaudry.........................,........301/111 7 Claims, 5 DrawingFigures w a C 9 5 9 l 3 47 77 688 677 222 1. Field of the Invention Thisinvention relates to toy vehicles and, more particularly,

to a wheel assembly for toy vehicles.

2. Description of the Prior Art One type of toy vehicle which has becomepopular is constructed for low wheel friction to permit fast movement,and is designed to resemble real or imaginary high performanceautomobiles. The necessity for low friction requires that the bearinghole through which the axle extends be of small diameter and that it beconcentric with the tire rolling surface. The attainment of a realisticracing appearance, makes it desirable that the wheels have a wide treadappearance and that hubcaps of highly decorative appearance be provided.While all tires may be expected to have a common black color suggestiveof rubber tires, the hubcaps should be highly decorative. It would bedesirable if the hubcaps could be produced separately from the tires andperhaps of different material that could be more easily decorated. Insome application, where a child may wish to change the decorations ofhis vehicles, it would be desirable to enable the child to easily removea hubcap and replace it with another of different design.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present inventionis to provide a toy vehicle wheel of attractive design and efficientperformance.

Another object is to provide toy vehicle wheel assemblies with a varietyof selectable hub designs, which is economical to produce andentertaining to play with.

In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a wheel isprovided for a toy vehicle which includes a cup-shaped tire member, anda decorative hubcap member which can be inserted into the tire member.The tire member has a central bearing hole for receiving an axle thatsupports the vehicle frame, and a tire perimeter concentric with thebearing hole for rollably supporting the vehicle. The inner walls of therecess formed by the cup-shaped tire member are tapered, and theyreceive the hubcap member in an interference fit therewith. In order toprevent tipping or skewing of the hubcap member, it is provided with atubular extension at its center which receives a hub projection on thetire member in an interference fit. The hubcap member serves as a thrustbearing for the vehicle axle, and it can be removed for replacement withanother hubcap member by merely pushing the tire member hard towards thevehicle. Another hubcap member of different design can be installed bymerely pushing it into position.

The novel features of the invention are set forth with particularity inthe appended claims. The invention will be best understood from thefollowing description when read in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a toyvehicle constructed in accordance with the preset invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a wheel assembly taken on the line 2-2 ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the wheel assembly of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective, partially sectional, exploded view of the wheelassembly of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a wheel assembly constructed in accordancewith another embodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 illustrates a toyvehicle which includes a body rollably supported by four wheelassemblies 12. The vehicle body is designed to represent a high speedracing car, and the wheel assemblies are constructed to resemble racingwheels. Each wheel assembly includes a wide track tire member 14 and ahighly decorative wheel or hubcap member 16. The visible portion ofhubcap member 16 has the appearance of a part often referred to as thewheel" in automotive nomenclature, but is herein referred to as thehubcap member. This portion 16 of an automobile wheel assembly is oftenthe most highly decorative part. The outer portion of the tire member14, however, is designed for high performance and generally is nothighly decorative, although a wide track appearance is generallydesirable to suggest racing tires.

As shown in FIG. 2, the tire member 14 is cup-shaped with an outer ortire portion 18, an inner or hub portion 20, and an annular web portion26 connecting them. The hub portion 20 has a bearing hole 22 forreceiving the axle 24 of the vehicle. The axle 24 passes through theinner face I of the tire member, but does not reach the outer face 0which faces away from the vehicle. Most of the tire portion 18 extendslike an axial flange from the web portion 26, so that it forms a recessin the outer face 0 of the tire member which receives the hubcap member16.

The hubcap member 16 has a rim portion 28 with tapered sides forengaging correspondingly tapered walls 30 that form the recess in thetire member. The diameter of the hubcap rim portion 28 is in between thesmallest and largest diameter of the tire portion walls 30, so that asnug fit can be achieved. The hubcap member also has an annular ortubular portion 32 that extends towards the inside of the tire memberrecess and which receives a projecting part 34 of the tire member hubportion 20. Both the inside of the tubular hubcap portion 32 and theprojection 34 have tapered walls that engage in a snug or interferencefit. However, the tubular hubcap portion can often bottom" in the recessto abut the outer surface 268 of the web portion of the tire member.

The construction of the wheel assembly 12 is accomplished by firstinserting the vehicle axle 24 through the bearing hole 22 in the tiremember and cold heading the end 36 of the axle. The hubcap member 16 isthen pressed into place. The firm engagement of the rim portion 28 ofthe hubcap member with the walls 30 of the tire member recess help toassure retention of the hubcap member. The fact that the tubular member32 fits snugly over the projection 34 of the tire member helps toprevent skewing of the hubcap member. The fact that the tubular member32 makes a snug fit with the projection 34 provides for additionalretention of the hubcap member. The hubcap member serves as a thrustbearing for the cold-headed end 36 of the axle, and also helps todecorate the wheel assembly.

In many cases, it is desirable to provide the vehicle with a set of atleast two hubcap members 16. A child can then remove a hubcap member bypushing inwardly on the wheel assembly until the axle end 36 pushes out,or ejects, the hubcap member which is already installed. The child thenpresses a hubcap member with a different design into place, using onlyhis fingers. The retention forces of the interference fit is generallysufficient to hold the hubcap member in place, even though during usethe hubcap member sometimes applies a slight thrust force against theend of the axle 24. However, the hubcap member 16 generally is not heldtightly enough to resist handling contact, so it is made with a depthsmaller than the depth of the tire member recess into which it fits.Accordingly, no part of the hubcap member projects substantially fromthe axial boundary defined by the outer face 0 of the tire member, andthe hubcap member is not subject to blows during normal use that willmove it out. Of course, in situations where it is not desired for achild to replace the hubcap members, the hubcap members can beadditionally cemented into place or assembled tighter mechanically toprevent removal even during long periods of use.

The provision of a tire member 18 which includes both the axle bearinghole 22 and the tire portion 18 that rollably supports the vehicle onthe ground assures concentricity of the bearing hole and tire surface188 so there is a minimum of wobble at high speed travel of the vehicle(relative to its size). The fact that the entire tire surface isintegral with the bearing hole assures concentricity of all portions.Thus, even when the edge 18E contacts a rounded, trough-shaped trackregion, which is sometimes employed at curves, there will be a minimumof friction. No special advantage would be obtained by making the hubcapportion integral with the walls of the bearing hole. in fact, therewould be a disadvantage in that many materials which provide lowfriction for the axle 24 are difficult to elaborately decorate in shapeor color. Accordingly, it is desirable that the hubcap portion 16 beseparate from the tire member 18.

The hubcap portion 16 does not have to have especially low friction orwithstand great abuse, and materials can be used for it which areprimarily easy to decorate in shape and color. In fact, materials can beused for the hubcap member which by nature of color and/or texture ofthe material are decorative, thereby negating further decorativeprocesses. When designing a wide variety of wheel assemblies, only asingle type of tire member 14 need be produced and stocked, yet wheelsof a variety of appearances can be obtained by using different hubcapmembers. Larger tire sizes can also use the standard hubcap members.

Thus, the invention provides a wheel assembly suitable for toy racingcars that must move rapidly and which must have a highly attractiveracing appearance. This is achieved by utilizing a wheel assembly havingan integral tire member that provides a bearing for the vehicle axle anda tire portion representing a wide tread tire, and a separate hubcapmember which can be readily installed in a recess in the outer face ofthe tire member. Various types of tire and wheel members can beemployed. For example, FIG. 5 illustrates a wheel assembly wherein thehubcap member 40 has a radially outwardly extending flange 42 that isreceived within a groove 44 formed on the inner surface of the tireportion 46 of a wheel member 48. It may be noted that even here, themain rolling surface 468 and the outer edge 46E are both integral withthe bearing hole 50 to promote minimum rolling friction under a varietyof conditions.

Although particular embodiments of the invention have been described andillustrated herein, it is recognized that modifications and variationsmay readily occur to those skilled in the art and, consequently, it isintended that the claims be interpreted to cover such modifications andequivalents.

What is claimed is:

1. A low friction wheel assembly for a toy vehicle which rolls at highspeed relative to its size, comprising:

a tire member having a central bearing hole for receiving avehicle-supporting axle, and a tire portion with an outer rollingsurface integral with the walls of said bearing hole, said tire memberhaving an inner face for facing towards said vehicle and an outer facefor facing away from said vehicle, said outer face defining ahubcap-receiving recess; and

a hubcap member for reception in said recess of said tire member, saidhubcap member having an axially inwardly protruding annular portion ofsmaller diameter than the outer hubcap diameter for engaging a region ofsaid tire member about said bearing hole.

2. The wheel assembly described in claim 1 wherein:

said hubcap member includes means for retention in said recess whileallowing ejection therefrom under high ejecting forces, and all of saidhubcap member lies substantially within the axial boundary defined bysaid outer face of said tire member.

3. The wheel assembly described in claim 1 wherein:

said recess has sloping walls; and

said hubcap member has correspondingly sloping walls for providing asnug fit with the walls of said recess.

4. A wheel for a toy vehicle which simulates a wide tread tire,comprising:

a tire member having a hub portion with a bearing hole for receiving avehicle-supporting axle and a radially outer tire surface concentricwith said bearing hole for rollably supporting said toy vehicle, saidtire member having an inner face for facing towards said vehicle and anouter face for facing away from said vehicle, said outer face defining ahubcap-receiving recess with sloping walls; and

a hubcap member having an outer hubcap diameter between the greatest andsmallest diameters of said recess in said outer face of said tire memberfor reception therein to a predetermined depth, said hubcap memberhaving an axially inwardly protruding annular portion of smallerdiameter than said outer hubcap diameter for abutting a region of saidtire member about said bearing hole.

5. The wheel described in claim 4 wherein:

said hub portion of said tire member includes a tapered portionprotruding axially outwardly into said recess; and

said protruding annular portion of said hubcap member has a centralrecess with tapered walls for closely receiving said tapered hubportion.

6. The wheel described in claim 4 wherein:

said hubcap member has a tapered outer surface for an interference fitwith the walls of said recess, and said hubcap member has an axiallength small enough so that no part of said hubcap member protrudesaxially past said tire member when installed therein in an interferencefit.

7. The wheel described in claim 4 wherein:

said hub portion of said tire member has a tapered portion protrudingaxially into said recess;

said annular inwardly protruding portion of said hubcap member has acentral recess with tapered walls for receiving said tapered hub portionin a substantially interference fit therewith; and

the outer surface of said hubcap member is tapered and is located toform a substantially interference fit with the walls of said recess ofsaid tire member as the tapered walls of said annular hubcap portionform a substantially interference fit with the walls of said hub portionof said tire member.

1. A low friction wheel assembly for a toy vehicle which rolls at highspeed relative to its size, comprising: a tire member having a centralbearing hole for receiving a vehicle-supporting axle, and a tire portionwith an outer rolling surface integral with the walls of said bearinghole, said tire member having an inner face for facing towards saidvehicle and an outer face for facing away from said vehicle, said outerface defining a hubcap-receiving recess; and a hubcap member forreception in said recess of said tire member, said hubcap member havingan axially inwardly protruding annular portion of smaller diameter thanthe outer hubcap diameter for engaging a region of said tire memberabout said bearing hole.
 2. The wheel assembly described in claim 1wherein: said hubcap member includes means for retention in said recesswhile allowing ejection therefrom under high ejecting forces, and all ofsaid hubcap member lies substantially within the axial boundary definedby said outer face of said tire member.
 3. The wheel assembly describedin claim 1 wherein: said recess has sloping walls; and said hubcapmember has correspondingly sloping walls for providing a snug fit withthe walls of said recess.
 4. A wheel for a toy vehicle which simulates awide tread tire, comprising: a tire member having a hub portion with abearing hole for receiving a vehicle-supporting axle and a radiallyouter tire surface concentric with said bearing hole for rollablysupporting said toy vehicle, said tire member having an inner face forfacing towards said vehicle and an outer face for facing away from saidvehicle, said outer face defining a hubcap-receiving recess with slopingwalls; and a hubcap member having an outer hubcap diameter between thegreatest and smallest diameters of said recess in said outer face ofsaid tire member for reception therein to a predetermined depth, saidhubcap member having an axially inwardly protruding annular portion ofsmaller diameter than said outer hubcap diameter for abutting a regionof said tire member about said bearing hole.
 5. The wheel described inclaim 4 wherein: said hub portion of said tire member includes a taperedportion protruding axially outwardly into said recess; and saidprotruding annular portion of said hubcap member has a central recesswith tapered walls for closely receiving said tapered hub portion. 6.The wheel described in claim 4 wherein: said hubcap member has a taperedouter surface for an interference fit with the walls of said recess, andsaid hubcap member has an axial length small enough so that no part ofsaid hubcap member protrudes axially past said tire member wheninstalled therein in an interference fit.
 7. The wheel described inclaim 4 wherein: said hub portion of said tire member has a taperedportion protruding axially into said recess; said annular inwardlyprotruding portion of said hubcap member has a central recess withtapered walls for receiving said tapered hub portion in a substantiallyinterference fit therewith; and the outer surface of said hubcap memberis tapered and is located to form a substantially interference fit withthe walls of said recess of said tire member as the tapered walls ofsaid annular hubcap portion form a substantially interference fit withthe walls of said hub portion of said tire member.